


VICTORS VILLAGE TOURS

by BellaGracie



Category: The Hunger Games
Genre: Angst, F/M, Post-Mockingjay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-22
Updated: 2018-07-24
Packaged: 2019-06-14 15:41:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,115
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15392016
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BellaGracie/pseuds/BellaGracie
Summary: After the War, Victors Village becomes a curiosity. It's a destination for tourists, who want to see the houses that belonged to District 12's Victors: Haymitch Abernethy, Katniss Everdeen, and Peeta Mellark. Katniss has moved to District 4.This might wreck you. Trigger Warning: Major Character suffers devastating brain trauma.





	1. Chapter 1

Katna is nine when her mother takes her and her older brother, Harry, 12, to Victors Village for the first time.

She remembers studying about it in school, and seeing documentaries about the Mockingjay.

Her mother explained that she was named after the girl with the bow and arrow, the one that was so brave she defied President Snow, and destroyed him forever. None of the documentaries say what happened after the Victory Parades.

The tour guide is an older woman with bright pink hair. She introduces herself simply as Effie. She balances on precariously high heels. Katna can't stop staring at the woman's hair. "It looks like cotton candy," she whispers to her brother, who frowns and pinches her arm, hard.

Effie opens the doors, one by one. "This is the LIE-BRAH-RY!" she almost sings. She runs her long, painted fingernails over a heavy desk. "MA-HO-GAH-NEE," she says, importantly.

It's a very big house, but it makes Katna sad.

After a tour of the Mockingjay's house, they go to the Mellark house. It is a mirror image of the first, but there have been some modifications to the kitchen.

"Peeta Mellark was a baker," the guide says. Her voice softens. A reflective look enters her eyes. "The refrigerator was made to order, shipped from the Capitol. He would spend hours baking."

They make a quick tour of the Mellark house, and are about to head over to Abernethy's when a tourist, a young woman, raises her hand. "Excuse me," says the young woman.

"Yes?" Effie says.

"What happened to the Mockingjay -- after?" the young woman asks.

A hush falls over the group. Everyone knows what "after" refers to.

"She's in Four now," Effie says, tightly.

"I know," the young woman says. "But, how is she? Is she all right? What happened to Mellark? Is he with her?"

"The Mockingjay is fine," Effie says. "Of course Mellark is with her. He's her husband."

Katna raises her hand, timidly.

Effie says, "Yes, sweetie?"

"Does the Mockingjay like living in Four?"

Effie says, "Well, her mother is there. Yes, she's very happy there."

The group falls silent. There are no more questions. Everyone's thinking about how sad it is, what happened to the baker. Five years after the war ended, after he and the Mockingjay were happy and married, something switched off in his brain. The Mockingjay found him lying on his back in the kitchen, staring at the ceiling unblinking. He never spoke again. Never smiled again. Never walked again.

Tears spring to Katna's eyes. She's not alone; she can hear a chorus of sniffles around her.

"Stop it!" Harry hisses at Katna.

She's terrified he'll pinch her again, but she can't help it. Katna's mother bends down and embraces her daughter. "Shh, dear, she's okay. The Mockingjay is okay," her mother says.

"But how can she be okay?" Katna sobs. "She doesn't even have any children!"

It's terrifying for Katna when she realizes her mother is crying, too.

"Mom?" Katna says.

"Hell's bells," her mother says, swiping at her eyes.

Then, suddenly, Effie is there beside them. She bends down, joins Katna and her mother in a tight embrace. The three hang on to each other. Out of the corner of her eye, Katna sees Harry standing by himself, a flush on his cheeks. He's biting his lip, which he always does when he's upset.

"You shouldn't be sad, sweetie," Effie says. "The Mockingjay is ever so happy. There's always hope, you know. One day, Mr. Mellark will come to himself again. You can bet on it." Then she takes Katna's hand and gives it a squeeze. "I'm going to tell her about you," Effie says. "I know your name is Katna. You were named after her, weren't you?"

Katna and her mother both nod.

"She'll be really happy to know about you. Can I -- can I take a little picture to send her?"

Katna glances hesitantly at her mother. Her mother nods.

"When I have the picture ready, I'd like you to sign it. Can I do that? I'll drop by and visit so you can sign the picture. Then I'll send it to the Mockingjay."

"That's wonderful," Katna's mother says. "What do you say, Katna?"

"Thank you," Katna whispers.

There's a shifting of feet, and then Effie rises. "Now!" she says, the brightness back in her voice. Katna thinks her eyes still look sad, though. "Let's go see Abernethy's house! If we're lucky, he might even be home!"

She teeters off, and the group slowly trails after her.


	2. DISTRICT FOUR

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More sadness! Sorry for this very angst-y story.
> 
> Do not read if Chapter One wrecked you.
> 
> Katniss moves to Four.
> 
> About the only good thing I can say about this chapter is: It's short.

In the end, Katniss felt she had no choice. She thought the Games would be the worst thing to happen to her in her life. They weren't. She thought Peeta's hijacking would be the worst thing to happen to her in her life. It wasn't. She thought Prim's death would be the worst thing to happen to her in her life. And, though it came pretty close to breaking her, it didn't.

THIS, though. This, with Peeta. This was the worst thing, hands down.

Her mother called, kept pleading with her. Katniss would hang up on her. It went like that, for almost a month.

But maybe it was the fact of Peeta sitting in a chair, so silent, not moving, not smiling, not even alive (because he couldn't be alive, like that), maybe it was that that made her break, on the 23rd day of July: "All right," she told her mother. And that was all. She glanced at Peeta, who she'd brought with her to the bedroom. "Is that all right with you, Peeta?" She imagined a change in his expression. A flicker of understanding.

So they left, she and Peeta. They moved to Four.

"I don't want anyone else at the station," she'd told her mother. "Just you or Annie. No one else."

She couldn't stand the thought of people coming there to gape. No, no, no. Not at HER Peeta. He was still a man. He would have minded so much.

On the train, they were given the best car. She positioned him by the window. She pointed out their progress. She held his stiff hand. She rested her head on his shoulder and wept.

She'd had five years, just five years to be with him. And if she had only agreed to have a baby . . .

"Mom!" she screamed when she saw her mother on the platform in Four. But she couldn't leave Peeta in his wheelchair. She gripped the handles and kept screaming, "Mom!" Her mother ran to her. "Oh baby!" her mother whispered, embracing her. There was a man with her, a big, bulky man, a stranger. "This is Henry," her mother said. "He's an aide at the hospital. We'll need him to carry . . . "

Katniss nodded. "Hurry," she told Henry. "I don't want anyone to see . . .

"Does the wheelchair fold?" he asked Katniss. She nodded, and then he picked Peeta up in his arms. "Fold it, and follow me."

*     *     *     *

"I'm sorry," her mother said. "It's a very simple kitchen."

"Don't apologize for anything," Katniss said. "You're here. HE'S here. That's all that matters."

Buttercup leaped into Katniss's lap. Then he jumped down and wound himself around Peeta's legs. Katniss watched, anxiously. "It's funny," she murmured. "He doesn't act as if Peeta's any different."

Her mother reached for her hand and squeezed. "Oh, baby -- " she said.

"Mom, if only I'd said yes, when he wanted to have a child -- " Katniss began to sob -- big, gulping sobs.

"Shhh, stop," her mother said. "It's no good thinking that way. You did the best you could. You were just getting over the horrible trauma of -- everything. You both were. I was in favor of you waiting. I told you that."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hug your loved ones, and hold them tight. I'm trying to nudge this to a good place, but -- it's going to be hard.


	3. LIFE IN FOUR

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katniss's point of view, two months after the move.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is painful. I am shredded, too. Sorry it is so sad.

Life went on.

Katniss was alone in the house; her mother was attending a benefit for the hospital.

Well, no -- Katniss wasn't alone. She had to remind herself of that. Peeta was here, he was with her. She had worked so hard to keep him safe . . .

"I'm not giving you up NOW," Katniss whispered, looking at him. He was next to her on the low couch in her mother's tiny parlor. She insisted on getting him dressed in the morning, and undressed at night. Her mother tried to help, but Katniss wouldn't let her.

After a few hours, it began to rain. Katniss still hadn't gotten used to the weather in Four. It seemed more humid. When the rain came down, it lasted longer than it did in Twelve. It usually cleared up by evening, though.

She wondered how far the hospital was; she'd never made it there, not in two months. She didn't want to go anywhere without Peeta, and she knew if she went with him, people would stare and ask questions. And she couldn't, she just couldn't bear the thought of explaining.

Her mother was usually gone the whole day. She and Katniss and Peeta would share a simple breakfast. Or, Katniss and her mother would. Peeta would be sitting in his wheelchair, next to Katniss. She and her mother would address questions to him. They would pause, listen for an answer, then nod, as if they'd read his mind.

Her mother had suggested once that she and Katniss attend a lecture. "Who's giving it?" Katniss had asked. It was more of a rhetorical question, because she was not leaving Peeta alone in the house. Neither was she going to bring him to a public event where people would see, would ask questions, would stare.

"Annie," her mother said.

Katniss was stunned "Annie! I didn't know she was a -- "

"She has a degree in clinical psychology, Katniss," her mother said. "She's a therapist. She often lectures on various topics. She's really quite a good speaker."

Katniss didn't answer, overwhelmed by the need to revise the image she'd held in her head of Annie. All these years, she'd referred to her as "The Mad Girl." Peeta was the one who told her to stop it, he said she was being unkind. She would never call Annie The Mad Girl again.

That night, when her mother returned, Katniss had asked her mother what the lecture had been about. "She lectured on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder," her mother said. Katniss had no further questions.

That was a week ago.

Katniss sighed. "What do you think of Four, Peeta?" she said. She tried not to whisper, even though she wasn't sure if Peeta could hear. "It's nice, isn't it?" She looked at him. Other than the fact that he never blinked, or smiled, and his beautiful lips were always drawn together, he was still essentially the same Peeta. His hair grew; she cut it. His fingernails and toenails grew; Katniss clipped them. She bathed him and combed his hair. Well, he might have grown thinner. But, Katniss thought, that was the only change.

"Maybe you were excited, and nervous," Katniss continued. "I was, too. But it's easier here, isn't it? With Mom . . . "

Her voice trailed away.

Their second night in Four, her mother had taken both of them to the beach. Katniss had looked out at the ocean, that mighty, restless ocean. "It's so beautiful," Katniss had said. Good thing her mother's house was close to the beach, she could take walks there with Peeta. If she timed it right -- later in the evening, for instance -- there'd be no one else around. Katniss had grown to love the sunsets.

She had been tempted to take Peeta out there this evening, but something inside her felt worn out. She wanted to wait for her mother. Instead, she sat by the window and watched as the shadows lengthened. The clouds were heavy; perhaps it would rain. It usually did.

"I hope it'll rain soon," Katniss said. She wasn't even aware she had spoken this aloud until she thought she heard a sound that made her turn and look intently at Peeta. Buttercup was curled up in his lap. A bead of sweat ran down the side of Peeta's face. What?

She hurried to him. "I'm sorry!" she said. "I didn't realize -- " She stopped, and frowned. "Maybe," she said. "I'll take off your shirt."

Buttercup jumped off and Katniss began to unbutton Peeta's shirt. She couldn't help the tears that flowed from her eyes then. "I'd love to take you for a swim, Peeta," she said. "But you never had time to learn."

She thought of the handful of times they had been at the Lake: how red Peeta's back got, how easily he burned. She lost herself in those memories. When her mother returned, later that night, she found Katniss asleep, her head on Peeta's lap.

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know why I chose to write such an angst-y story. I honestly don't know.


End file.
